Wolf Call
by WS
Summary: Yinyay appears as a Tower after days of traveling by foot with Y and H, and Argul. Back to the Hulta they go. Will they be kicked out, or will they break the rules? Will the next adventure end in tragedy?
1. Chapter One: On Our Way

WS- Well, I haven't read the fourth book, and I'm not even totally sure if there is one…. If there is, can someone tell me what it is in the review? I have no idea how many books there are; I've only read Wolf Tower, Wolf Star, and Wolf Queen.

Well, anyway, since I haven't read any others (if there are any), this takes place after Wolf Queen. Obviously. I rarely do stories where they're being told like "I did this," but I think I'm just as good like that as I am doing "She did this." So, I'll give it a try.

Oh, and I can't forget to say: This is supposed to be before Yinyay came as another Tower. It's right after they escaped from the "Over-Marriage". So, it's totally different from the book after that part. The Yinyay/Tower/Ship is going to be similar, though. I hope you enjoy!

Please R&R!

**Chapter One: On Our Way **

I feel so excited right now! Argul is in another tent, and possibly the wagon he had before he gave Blurn his place as leader here.

I've been able to see Sirree again, and Dagger. Teil, Toy, Blurn, Ro, Mehmed and the others have all apologized for not trusting me.

Really, I don't blame them. Nemian must have been convincing with the fake diary that was in my handwriting. Truly, it wasn't _mine_ per say, it just looked like mine, but still.

Like I said, I'm so excited! This will be the best thing ever to happen to me! Can things get any better? No, I don't think so, unless the Hulta accept us back. Still, there's—

Sorry! I'm sure you don't know what I'm talking about, do you? I keep doing that. But, let me start from where I left off in my last entry about a month ago. It goes like this:

Argul and I traveled for a while. We needed know where the Hulta would be. The Ravens were still looking for us, but they weren't near as persistent as before.

I missed my Graff. I'm sure you can see why. But, I was glad that Winter Raven was taking good care of he/she/it.

My thoughts kept drifting back to Prince Venarion Yllar Kaslem-Idoros. The poor guy will have no chance with Winter. Resisting her will be like someone from the City resisting a treat when I was there and everyone was so down-cast, looking for something to perk everyone up.

Of course, thinking of this brings me back to thinking about that slut Nemian. And Ironel! They had both tricked me. But, that is in the past. Of course, it also made me think of Argul's, Ro's, Mehm's daring rescue. And when the fireworks had been set off. Everyone was so glad that the Law had been destroyed. I was, too, and I still am.

We had to walk the whole way. Thankfully, my ring helped me keep warm and I was able to use it to keep Argul warm, too. Ustareth-Zeera was a true genius. She was mean to some, but she was a genius.

"Claidi-baa-baa," Argul said one night, using my nickname, while we were snuggled together next to a fire I had started with my ring, "do you think that the Hulta miss us?"

I looked at the ground. "They miss you, I know. When I went, they ran me off because they thought I had betrayed them for that creep Nemian. I can't blame them, though. I had wanted to go with him the first time. Of course, then I had just wanted to keep a promise I had made to him that I would go with him, but still…."

He nodded. "If they knew the truth, I am sure they will apologize and kick themselves for being so unreasonable. Even they did not know you the way I did, or the way I do."

I smiled, and he kissed my forehead. "How can someone kick _themselves_?" I asked.

He laughed aloud, a short, sharp bark of laughter. He grinned, and replied, "It's an expression, Claidi. It means—well—it means—oh, you'll get used to it some day."

We set out the next morning. We had been traveling by foot and flight for three days. We should have been near where I had re-met Yazkool and Hrald. I couldn't get over how they kept asking for a kiss. And I still can't get over how I let Yaz put his arm around me.

The hills, the ones with all of those different jewels and gems, were in the distance, but within sight. We kept seeing different colored flashes of light. It was from light reflecting off of the sapphires and rubies and everything else.

It took two days to get there. Of course, we stuck to the outside. We could have gone straight in if we had wanted, though. We could have made ourselves invisible with my ring. But, when we had first his under that overhang, one of the men had seen a "shadow". What if any time we used the invisibility there was still a shadow left?

Even so, we were reckless enough to stay close to the city's outer walls. We didn't fly, either. We both preferred walking, and if we had flown I would have split the narrow dress again. Of course, I kept splitting it just walking, too, but I needed an excuse! Truthfully, I was nervous, even with Argul there. Flying was definitely not my thing.

Argul and I both stopped suddenly. Voices. They were awfully close. How had we missed them at first? They sounded close enough that if I told the ring to make us invisible, they would hear. I still didn't have the knack of commanding it with my mind, though. So, we both just got even closer to the wall, so it was against our backs, and waited for anyone there to round the corner. If they were foe (most likely), we would ambush them.

Argul grabbed my hand and we both squeezed, getting ready. The voices sounded like they were so close. Was I breathing? I don't think so. My heart raced. But, the voices sounded eerily familiar…. How could they? I couldn't tell who it was. Maybe Heepo? No, it wasn't deep enough. Ngarbo? Possibly. Vilk? Maybe. Vilk and Ngarbo? Just as possible.

I grinned as I recognized them, and looked over at Argul, who was right next to me. Within making any sound, and I moved my lips as if I was saying, "It's all right. We don't have to worry."

He gave me a confused look, but relaxed his body. How's that for trust? I nodded. At that moment, the men came round the corner.

Yazkool and Hrald stopped short as soon as they saw us. Y reacted first. "Claidi! I thought they had already taken you to the Raven Tower! Good to see you again."

Hrald was grinning even wider than he was. "Yeah. Now, who's this guy?" He gestured at Argul.

Argul raised an eyebrow and looked at me, as if to say, "Who are these guys?"

"Yaz, Hrald, this is Argul," I replied. I couldn't keep the smile off of my face. "He is—"

"Her mate. Or, I will be soon," Argul cut in. I almost laughed at the total looks of shock on H and Y's faces.

H looked at me, eyes wide. "You never told us you were engaged!" He turned to Argul. "Congrats. She is quite a prize. You must be very lucky."

I noticed a look in their eyes, and the smile dropped off of my face. "You've been drinking again, haven't you?" I demanded. They had the glazed-over look they always get after too much wine.

"Come on, Claidissy, there's nothing wrong with that, now is there?" H asked. I noticed the note to his voice that was tell-tale of their drinking.

I sighed, and rolled my eyes. "Anyway, I thought they didn't let anyone out of the city here. How are you out?"

"We escaped. What do you think?" They always surprised me.

"And," H added to Y's answer, "Now that we have all met up again, do you mind if we joined this little group?" Yep. They were drunk.

Argul raised his eyebrows at me. He had only said two sentences in this whole conversation, but he seemed to say a whole lot more with his expressions.

I sighed. "I suppose, if Argul agrees…. But _no drinking_ while you're in this 'little group'."

Argul nodded. "If Claidi says it's alright, then I agree. But I also agree with the no drinking part. It's bad for you on a journey like this." He sounded slightly reluctant to have to put up with these two.

About two hours later, it was time to make camp. We were still right next to the city, but I could use the ring to hide all of us and the fire, if we made one. A shadow in the dark wouldn't be too much of a giveaway, don't you think? Of course, you're only a figment of my imagination, an imaginary reader. Unless you're like Venn, who read this without permission. Oh well. But, still, thank you for putting up with me for so long!

We didn't make a fire. There was nothing to burn. Y had asked before whether it would have been best if we kept moving, since they—the Ravens—might see us out here while we were asleep.

I didn't explain why, but they trusted my judgment. Don't ask why. I told my ring to make us invisible except to each other, and they gave me questioning looks, all except for Argul.

"It has…powers. It'll do anything I tell it to do. But I have to tell it to, and it'll only work for me," I told them. They just shrugged, but I saw a hint of mischief in their eyes.

Also, we didn't have to worry about blankets out here in the snow because I also told it to keep us all warm. Very handy, that ring.

Yaz stretched out and lay down against the wall. Hrald went to sleep sitting against the wall a few feet from Yaz. Argul and I both slept a few feet away from the wall, and away from those two. Of course, we weren't married yet, though we should have been if I hadn't been kidnapped the day of our Hulta marriage, so we didn't sleep next to each other.

I must have gone to sleep before my head even hit the ground; I can't remember it doing so.

It seemed like only a moment later when I was woken up. Argul was shaking me, holding my shoulders. That's simply a rude way to be woken up.

"What is it?" I asked drowsily, my sight not even focused yet. My mind wasn't working, so I didn't even think of Y and H.

"We need to go. Now," he said. "There are Ravens scouting. We may have the ring, but they're going by ground, not by air. That makes me nervous."

My eyes snapped open, instantly focused. I was wide awake. "How would they know?" I asked.

"Yazkool found a Tag on one of his belongings. The same with Hrald. They're looking for those two, not us. But they'll find us with those two if we stay. We all, all four of us, need to hurry and get out of here."

"Tag? What have you done with it? How far are the Ravens? Which way do we go to get away from them?" I stood up, eyes scanning the area.

"They're a ways off. We can keep going the way we've been going, though. They're behind us. I've thrown the Tag off to the left, about 100 yards. That'll throw them off, but we still need to get away in case there are more," he replied. His voice was stern, and held none of the panic I'm sure mine had.

Yaz and Hrald were already waiting to leave. I noticed that by then. "Can we just go? You say so much about hurrying, but you're only standing there," H said.

Argul's left eyebrow twitched with annoyance, but that was the only sign of it. I am always amazed by his self control. He nodded, and grabbed my hand, pulling me at a fairly brisk pace next to the H and Y.

"Are we still invisible?" Argul asked me.

"I think so. I'm pretty sure it only stops when I tell it to," I replied, not quite sure of my answer.

Yaz and Hrald shot us unbelieving looks. "Invisible? What's up with that, Claidi?" That was Hrald. Maybe he was able to speak first for once.

"Yes, invisible. It's complicated. Let's just focus on getting away from the Ravens, alright?" Argul answered.

They still had bewildered looks on their faces, but they turned to the road ahead. They had caught the tone in Argul's voice, as had I. I remember briefly wondering why he was so quick to temper that morning. Maybe he was just still tired, therefore cranky.

Of course, he wasn't like that to me, though. Maybe he was just annoyed by Yaz and Hrald. You never know with him, which is one of the reasons he is perfect for me.

Amazingly, we were out of sight of the Raven Tower that day. I never knew we could go so fast if we just didn't stop for a break. Of course, the ring kept our strength up this time. I was glad, too. Otherwise I would never have been able to walk so fast non-step for so long.

We never saw or heard any signs of the Ravens coming after us, close enough to find us, and I was glad. The RT gave me the creeps, which also made me glad we were out of sight. You see, the RT was even visible from the Guest house. And you could see it easily from the tops of the hills, as I recall.

As we went, it kept getting warmer and warmer. It was **_VERY_** gradual, but there. In about two days of traveling like this, we were already near the ice! It was awfully cold there, more than in other places, which made the gradually warmer climate become quickly icy cold, but the ring kept us warm. It took a bit to get past the ice, about a day. We kept going, and going, and going, only stopping at night.

Yazkool and Hrald were still themselves, but they kept their behavior in check around Argul. In other words, no arms around my waist and no requests for a kiss. That was just fine with me.

Often, Argul and I walked hand in hand or with his arm around my shoulders. I had a feeling he was keeping Y and H in line, like saying "She's spoken for. Don't even think about it." Of course, he never actually _said_ this.

It took almost a week to reach the Fire Hills. But, we were near Panther Halt. Which was good. Our food supply was running dangerously low. It was no longer gradual, the warmth. It was there all the time, and it was hot. But, what amazed me (I shouldn't have been amazed at anything anymore) was that it kept us all cool in the heat as well as warm in the cold.

Yes, very handy, indeed.

I saw the large tent in the distance about a day after we had entered the Fire Hills. We were within sight of Panther Halt! But, we still couldn't stop except for getting horses. But, I myself, would have preferred a Graffapin. The bad thing was, I didn't think anyone had any coins or money. Therefore, we wouldn't be able to get anything useful.

The fire in the Fire Hills was not fire, as you all should know by now. It's an illusion seen from far off which make the hills seem to be on fire. They're not, or else we wouldn't have been able to get through it the first time, to the RT. (I don't know about that time, because of the ring. Could it protect us from fire? I still don't know.)

Yazkool grinned when he saw the Tent. "Are we stopping there? I hope so. So much walking is really getting to me. Don't you agree?"

"No, I don't agree," Argul said. "But Claidi and I can't stop there anyway, unless it's only to get a horse of Graffapin. We need to keep moving; I don't know about you, though."

I furrowed my brows. "Argul, how are we going to get through the forest? I mean, the jungle. It was hard enough for me to get through a few miles, but we'll need to go through all of it."

"We'll work it out, Claidi-baa-baa," he replied, and gripped my hand a bit tighter. Thankfully, he didn't do it hard enough to cut off the circulation, though he was close.

Y and H burst out laughing. "Claidi-baa-baa! What is that, a pet name?" Yaz exclaimed. Hrald was too busy laughing to say anything. I had to admit, they had a sense of humor, even if it was at another's expense.

"Not a pet name. It's how the Sheepers pronounced my name. We both met when I was leaving the Sheeper's city," I replied. But, I had a small smile. Come to think of it, it was kind of funny.

Argul seemed to be getting angry, but he heard the tone I was using: light, amused. So, he simply nodded at my explanation.

Hrald and Yaz had finally quieted their laughing. "Still, it's awfully funny," Y commented, wiping a tear from his eyes that had come from laughing so hard.

Okay, I admit, it wasn't _that_ funny, but still….

There was something in the sky. It was so tiny, though…. What was it? It was silvery, and looked like a tiny worm, and it was flying (?) right at us. I realized that we were not invisible at the time.

It landed on the ground, and I almost squealed with joy. The silvery thing shook its silver hair, revealing a tiny human face on the head.

"Yinyay!" I exclaimed. "But I thought—how'd you—Yinyay!" I felt Argul's eyes glancing from me to Yinyay and back again. Of course he didn't know what she was!

"Good evening, Claidi," she said, still tiny, her voice much bigger than her size, "there's something I must tell you. The Ship was destroyed, but something has occurred in me," she said. "As you know, I was linked to the Ship. If it was destroyed, then I would be destroyed. But now, I am the Ship."

I blinked. New information. Argul seemed just plain confused, and I couldn't read Y and H's expressions.

"You're what? How can you _be_ the Ship?" I asked. "I mean, you're kind of…small."

"Yes. You remember how I shrunk earlier? Well, let me show you." We, all four of us, jumped back as she shut her human eyes and began to grow. She got taller, and wider. I wondered if someone could see from Panther Halt.

Within a few seconds, she was as big as all four of side by side, and three man-heights high. She kept growing for about two minutes. By then, she was as big as… a Tower. She _was_ a Tower!

Her voice came from the T looming over us. "Come in through this door. I will take you where you wish to go." A door opened in the side, big enough for two of us to fit in side by side, and about two man-heights high.

Finally Yaz spoke. "What the hell is that thing?" He seemed totally stupefied. I felt the same way.

Hrald couldn't say a thing. His jaw was wide open, and I'm sure mine was, too. How could Yinyay do that? It was so—so—

Argul spoke. "Do you know this….?" He faltered. His voice held awe, but only a bit. He had a lot of self-control.

"I know Yinyay, what that Tower is, but I've never seen her do that," I replied. I could barely say the words. I just kept staring up at the T, my eyes wide, taking in everything. The T must have been fifty stories high, and 100 man-heights wide. In other words, it was huge.

And it was at our command.

WS- I hope you like it! I won't update until I get a review! So, please review!


	2. Chapter Two: A Farewell

WS- Well, thank you. I pride myself in grammar and spelling. Plus, I thought adding Yaz and Hrald as alcoholics would put some comical material into this. My goal was to make it seem like their behavior (when they were drunk) made Argul get kind of protective of Claidi, why he stayed so close and seemed to send off those vibes at H and Y.

Well, anyway, thanks!

Oh, and I have a full summary for this on my profile page. Truly, I do for all of my stories on here…. Oh, you get it. Anyway, enough blabbering! Let the story begin! Erm…no…. It's "continue". Okay, I'm gonna stop before I hurt myself.

**Chapter Two: A Farewell **

Well, Yinyay was still just as spectacular from the inside. There was furnishings, running water (hot or cold), lights (hard lights, yuk), and moving stairs—which reminded me of the RT—to get to different levels.

She was huge as a Tower! If no one from Panther Halt had seen her, then it would be a miracle, or everyone was blind. No, I'm not kidding; I'm quite serious.

Anyways, Argul, H, and Y seemed even more stupefied than I was. How's that for a shocker? When I went in—hesitant, of course—even Argul hesitated after I had passed through. When he saw me waiting for him to follow, he came in quickly, as if he wanted to get it over with.

I couldn't believe it! Of course, he hadn't seen everything that I had even slightly like this. Of course, it was his mother who had made this ship…. But when she bore him, she wasn't using her science much. This was—is—all so confusing!

Y and H saw that neither of us were hurt, so stepped through. Y's jaw was wide open, and H's eyes were wider than I ever though was humanly possible. I almost laughed, but remembered my wide eyes and dropped jaw when I first saw Yinyay "transforming". I suppose I just got over the shock (slightly) because I had seen a lot more like that.

Still, it was a huge surprise.

I asked Yinyay if anyone would have seen her from the Tent that was PH. She simple said (her words seemed to come from everywhere at once) that they couldn't—my ring made sure that we were the only ones who could.

Yet another shocker. (Sighs.) I really should get used to the unexpected, you know. But, with my being only a _slave's daughter_ it's hard to do that. Oh, I should also let that go. My heritage has nothing to do with my capability.

"Where are we going to go?" I asked Yinyay. H and Y seemed too filled with wonder (looking everywhere and at everything in the Tower) and Argul was just taking everything in. Of course, he didn't leave my side. He's still a bit protective. But who can blame him after my being kidnapped? Again.

"Wherever you want to go, of course," came Yinyay's reply. "I can't go anywhere of my own accord, it's not in my programming. Where would _you_ like to go?"

I had somewhere in mind, but I didn't know how Argul would react to it. Going to the Hulta might be breaking their Law. Of course, I had survived by breaking the rules…. You get it.

"I'll have to talk to the others to figure out where we should go," I told her. I didn't think Y and H would be very happy with the Hulta, either. There's a lot of pretty women there, but they aren't interested in men.

Argul nodded in agreement. "True. I don't want to have to put up with those two on a long journey. We should just drop them off where they want to go."

I chuckled. "You just haven't gotten used to them yet. But, yes, they can get awfully annoying." I looked back to where Yinyay's voice was strongest. "Where are they now?"

"Level 10, room 3," she replied. Gee, that was a big help.

"Um…where's that?" I asked her, and smiled sheepishly. I swear I heard Argul chuckle next to me.

"Just a moment." I furrowed my brows. Why would Yinyay need a moment?

I squealed as a light, so bright I had to shield my eyes, engulfed both of us. I didn't feel anything other than that, though. It faded quickly and I realized Argul had his arms around me, as if it had scared him, too, and he was trying to protect me. That was fine with me.

I looked around, blinking, and saw that we were in a whole different room. The furnishings were different, and Y and H were there, staring.

Yinyay's voice boomed through the room. "I have just teleported you to their location. I trust you are alright? Sometimes the process of de-molecularization," (if that's spelled right. I have no idea), "and re-molecularization can result in shock or trauma to people." She sounded truly—slightly—worried.

"I'm fine," Argul replied, sounding confused. I echoed him. I was sure neither of us knew what all that meant.

"Well, that was exciting." Yaz. He had a wide grin on his face, and I saw a twinkle in his eyes. They must have gotten wine from Yinyay. H was the same way: drunk.

I almost laughed. They were truly addicted to wine. On a table, set with ornate carvings straight into the wood, were a few wine glasses and an open wine bottle. How quaint. Not surprising.

Hrald spoke up. "Very. Now, why did you come all the way up here?"

Argul was probably exasperated, so I answered. "We needed to talk to you both. Do you want us to drop you two off somewhere? Anywhere. Just name it."

Hrald and Yazkool exchanged looks. They laughed. Wait, they laughed! Why would they do that? What's so funny?

"This works out just fine for us, madam," Y replied. "We're happy right where we are. You don't need to go the trouble of bringing us anywhere but with you on your next journey."

"Oh, but I insist," I replied. I knew how to work with these guys, amazingly. Make them think that I'm giving them something, a gift, going out of my way for them, instead of going out of my way to get rid of them. I can't believe I just wrote that. Oh, well.

Hrald looked at Yazkool, and raised his eyebrows. "Looks like the lady wants to give us a present," he said, evidently even more drunk than I thought he was. If he was, then so was Y. Oh, they were going to feel that in the morning.

Argul must have seen the same thing that I did. I'm not surprised, he always was observant. Still, they definitely weren't making a great impression on him, as far as I could see. He seemed to want to drop them off somewhere, too, and not take them where we were going…wherever that was.

Y and H seemed to fall for my ruse. Good. "Well, alright, lady, I suppose we could…."

"Good." I was truly relived, and hoped it didn't show through. "Where would you both like to go then?"

They exchanged glances, and nodded to each other. "Kelemara, lady," Yaz finally replied. He smiled. But, I had no idea where that was.

Argul, next to me, blinked a few times. He seemed to have heard of the place, of course. The bad thing was, he seemed either surprised that they would want to go there or that they even knew about it.

"Why would you go there?" Yep, he knew about it.

"There is said to be many riches there, beyond imagination. We've always been trying to find someone who could find the location for us. If this ship can take us there, then we would be greatly in your debt," H said. He seemed thrilled be the idea of going there.

Argul raised his eyebrows, then furrowed them. There seemed to be something bad about them going, or something else connected to all this. What it was, I had no idea.

I stored it in the cupboard in my head of questions to ask later, and shrugged to the two in front of me. "Alright, then. I'll ask Yinyay if she knows where Kelemara is."

They both broke into huge grins. Still, Argul seemed apprehensive of the whole idea…. What was wrong? I had no idea, but I had told them that I'd get Yinyay to drop them off wherever they wanted to go. I keep my promises.

Yinyay's voice boomed through the room. "Of course I know where Kelemara is. Would you like me to start on the way now?"

"Yes, please," I replied. That was easy. Of course, with Yinyay, she always made a point of making of easy for me. Yes, I liked that.

"How far is it?" Argul asked, seeming to aim his question at Yinyay.

"Closer than you would think. It's only about a day's trip to get there. But when you reach it, you still have to walk for a ways… about a mile, at least. And there are a lot of beasts there, vrabburs and tigapards."

"Do not worry about us. We can get around those kinds of beasts," H replied cockily. So, when drunk they are just plain foolish.

If they said they could, I had to take their word for it. I nodded, as if understanding and believing them. Little did they know.

Well, Yinyay was right: it took a full day. Y and H were had gotten over their being drunk quickly. Yinyay had quit giving them wine, saying they had had enough. I was surprised by how quickly they got over being drunk. Maybe they drank so much their body got used to it and they could no longer stay drunk for very long without actually drinking for every minute of it. Or maybe I'm just thinking too much.

Anyway, they still didn't seem very nervous.

"See ya some other time. Thanks again," Yaz called, walking towards the treacherous-looking jungle that Yinyay said they would have to trek through for over a mile. Either they were very good, or they were very dumb. I figured it was a little bit of both.

"You're welcome. Be careful, okay?" I replied, watching them in the shadows of dusk. The trees and everything looked almost exactly like at the Rise, except for some mountains on the horizon that were so far away that you couldn't tell whether they were covered in sand, snow, trees, grass, or rock.

They must have been out of earshot. I could see them, but the wind was blowing my words away. They walked straight into the jungle. I sighed, and walked back inside.

"Sometimes I think they're just insane," I said to no one in particular.

"I've been thinking the same thing ever since I met them outside the Guest House," Argul replied, one eyebrow raised. He had been beside me while Y and H left, and had come in beside me.

I grinned. "Yes. But why does Kelemara seem to make you tense?" I asked. I had to get the question answered now or never.

He hesitated (What's up with that?) and answered, "There are rumors about monsters there. It's nothing really, but many have ventured there and never come out."

"Oh." That was all I could say. Pathetic, no? You would think I would be able to answer things like that with a bit more bravado when exposed to people like Argul for so long.

He nodded. "But we will not have to go there, so there is nothing to worry about. Now we can go to our own destination." The door to the outside closed (Yinyay must have done it, getting ready for our next orders) and he pulled me close.

I have a feeling we were both glad that we finally had some time to ourselves. Of course, there was always Yinyay, but unlike Y and H, she didn't interrupt things she knew she shouldn't.

We kissed briefly (I won't go into the details) and then I called Yinyay. Of course, she was waiting for our orders, as I expected.

I smiled slightly, excited at what I was about to say. I had to admit, I wasn't sure whether this was the best decision, and Argul also seemed hesitant, but we had to give it a try.

"Bring us to the Hulta camp, please," I said.

"Do you want me to find them the same way I did before?" Yinyay asked.

"Yes, please. That would be great. But, please, set down about twenty minutes' walk away from them, so as not to scare them all like last time."

I swear I heard Yinyay chuckle. Looks like Ustareth-Zeera programmed her with a sense of humor, too. "Yes, ma'am. According to my sensors, they are two days' travel nor-northwest."

"Good. That's not near as long as the first time, is it? Let's hurry, please," I replied.

Argul nodded his approval. "Good. But, once a leader of the Hulta hands his rank to someone else, the Law is that he or she has to leave the Hulta—"

"Oh, Argul, I'm sure they'll let you come for a little, reassure them that you're alright. And because of the circumstances that you left in, Blurn might give you back the role. When I went, he made it clear that he didn't want the position. He wished you hadn't left."

He smiled slightly, just a shadow playing across his lips. "I'm sure. He always hated responsibility. I suppose they might make this exception….Quite a few have made it known that they don't agree with a few of the Laws, such as that one."

"Good." I smiled, too. "But, we still have two days to wait. And, it's dinnertime. Let's go get something to eat, talk over dinner, shall we?"

He grinned, and laughed. "So like you, Claidi-baa-baa. Of course, I agree." He walked over to the door, and opened it. It led to the hallway. The dining room (the one on this level) was just down the hall. I am glad to report Yinyay never thought it was necessary to use that beam of light again.

Yinyay served us steamed potatoes, a light salad, and what she called roast beef. It was a good dinner, but something I'd never seen before. Surprise, surprise.

Of course, we did talk over dinner. I'm sure we were both glad to be rid of Y and H, and have some privacy. I know I was.

"I wonder how they'll react to our entrance," Argul remarked.

"I don't know, really. But, you heard me ask Yinyay to land about twenty minutes' walk from them. That will at least show them that we're not attacking."

"Very true. That will be important." He seemed to only then notice what was in my belt. "A dagger? How did you manage to get that?"

I looked down. My clothes were different, thankfully. Yinyay had supplied us with clean, better-fitting, more comfortable clothes. I saw the jeweled dagger he was gesturing at, and smiled.

"When I went back to the Hulta camp, I didn't leave right away. Or, I stayed in the Ship, but I didn't tell Yinyay to take off. I stayed there for the night like that. Dagger came when it was dark and asked me to tell my side of the story. She believed me when I told it. And she brought me the dagger that she had given me the day we were supposed to be married," I explained.

He nodded, and smiled even wider. "Someone believed you, then. Maybe the others will come to trust you again when they hear what we both have to say. They will believe me, and if I back up your story, then they will most likely believe you."

I nodded. "Yeah, that is good. And true. I could tell they all missed you, though, just by their body language when Blurn mentioned you. This is probably going to be even better than I expected."

He raised one eyebrow. "Don't get cocky, Claidi. When you get cocky, you put your guard down. There's still a chance that we will have to do more to get them to believe us," he warned.

I grimaced. That was true…not good, but true.

The entire dinner went like that. Of course, we finished dinner shortly after that. Oh well.

Yinyay's voice rang from the walls as we walked out of the dining room. I jumped when it did. I still wasn't used to that.

"The Hulta are moving again. Thankfully, they're coming towards us. It will only take about one day instead of two at this rate. If you'd prefer, we could go a tidbit faster," she said.

I grinned. "Yes, please, Yinyay. I would like to get to them as quickly as possible." I then turned to Argul, still smiling. "Stroke of luck, aye?"

"Yes. I suppose it is."

And, of course, that night I lay awake, thinking, daydreaming, etc. I was so very excited, I tell you. Maybe they would accept us back? That would be absolutely great! But the little voice in my head kept nagging at my thoughts—what if they didn't? But they had to!

Didn't they?

WS- How is it? Well, you've already said it's good, but is it getting better? Oh well.

Oh….Please, don't hit me with a blunt instrument! AAH!


	3. Chapter Three: Almost There

WS- I'm glad ya'll like it. No, I don't have it all written out, though. I write these things up really quickly. I start it in the morning and usually finish later that day or the next day. It depends on how many things I'm working on at once. Usually I'll spend an entire day on Word, writing and reading my material for this. And, sometimes I don't even have a storyline, just a very faint outline that I'm probably gonna change along the way in the story. Really, that's the easiest way to do it for me.

**Chapter Three: Almost There**

That night, I stayed up until the first rays of morning peeked through my window. I still wasn't very tired. I was exhausted.

Still, I simply couldn't sleep. I knew I should, because we were going to meet with the Hulta that day, but I just couldn't. So, I just got up.

Getting dressed, I thought about what we might do when we got to the Hulta camp. Maybe they would just run us off as soon as they saw us. That would be a major blow to my emotions, but they might not care. Maybe they'll just Argul was a fool to believe that Nemian had been lying.

But, we had to take the chance. I wasn't about to back down now. I'll bet our entire future depended on them taking us in. It surely would have been changed if they shunned us.

Anyway, I threaded my jeweled dagger through my belt and walked out into the hall. Yinyay's voice called from the ceiling as soon as I did.

"Did you sleep well, Claidi?" she asked.

"Actually, no," I replied. It was true, as I told you. Oh so true. Plus, I was starving. Going a full night, awake, without food can make anyone hungry, no? So, I walked into the dining room.

Argul was already there, eating something Yinyay called a waffle. He smiled and nodded in greeting as soon as I came in. I noticed that my place at the table was already set.

He probably saw the bags under my eyes, because he didn't ask how I had slept. For that, I was thankful. I sat down in my seat, and poured a mug of coffee. I don't know how, but that always would wake me up on a morning like this.

Finally, I was awake again, after about three full mugs. I never thought that I'd wish I had a god so I could thank he/she/it for coffee.

Argul spoke when I was finally awake. "I suppose you didn't sleep well?" he asked. Gee, how did he figure that out?

"No, I didn't. It's hard to sleep at all when we're going back to the Hulta today. I didn't get to sleep at all, truthfully," I replied, and pushed some of my hair out of my eyes.

"Quit worrying, Claidi-baa-baa," he said sternly, "we'll get through this. Whether they let us back or not, we will be fine. Don't lose sleep over this." His voice was strangely soothing. No, not strangely, he always had a way of soothing any fear out of me with a few words.

"Too late," I replied, and shrugged. "I won't lose any more sleep, though. We're going to see them later today, from what Yinyay says." I looked at the ground. "Hopefully they will accept us back."

He walked from that end of the table to mine and held me in his arms. I laid my head on his chest and he stroked my hair with his hand. "Like I said, whatever happens, it will all turn out for the better," he repeated, his voice firm but soft.

"I suppose," I replied, glad that he was there. I was also glad Hrald and Yazkool weren't there. Why did my mind keep wandering back to them? Maybe I was simply afraid they would get hurt because of what Argul told me of not many ever returning…. Oh well.

Yinyay's voice came, with her timing. "They move faster than I expected. We'll be within twenty minutes of their camp in thirty minutes."

My eyes widened. Thirty minutes? That was so short! I couldn't help but be excited, though. I wouldn't have to contemplate what they would say for very long. But I had to get ready, gathering my things, making sure I had my journal, this journal. Of course, I also wanted my first journal, the one that I filled.

Argul stepped back, and I stood up. "We need to go get what we're bringing. I'll meet you on the lowest level next to the entrance in 20 minutes." Before I could answer, he smiled reassuringly and walked out, probably to his room.

I walked out after him, hurrying to my room. I saw him turning a corner to my right, at the end of the corridor. I couldn't believe how quickly he could walk when he wanted to.

I was scared and excited all at once. Talk about butterflies in your stomach. I hurried to my room and gathered everything I needed. It only took one bag, thankfully. When I looked at the time I found that it had already been fifteen minutes. I blinked a few times in surprise and headed to my rendezvous point with Argul.

He was waiting with his bag at the other end of the room. "You're late, Claidi-baa-baa," he said, eyes glittering with amusement.

I stuck my tongue out at him. "How am I late? One minute early!"

"There's an old saying in the Hulta. 'If you're not fifteen minutes early, you're late.'" I couldn't help but laugh. He shrugged innocently. "What's so funny, darling?"

I shook my head and put my bag down. "Nothing. Just…nothing. Yinyay, how long until we get there?"

Her voice answered immediately. "Twenty minutes. As long as they don't change course suddenly, anyway. Take a seat and be ready to land." A smile flickered on my lips as I did as bade. I was still afraid, of course, but I wouldn't have stopped for anything. I think Argul felt the same way.

He sat next to me on the soft couch and I leaned on his arm. "I've asked this before, but how do you think they'll react?" I asked thoughtfully. "I mean, you've lived with them even longer than I have."

He paused, lips pursed in thought. "I'm not really sure. But no matter what happens, it will be as meant to be." He put his hand under my chin and made me look up at him. "We'll still be together; everything will be alright."

I sighed contentedly and nodded. He was still soothing.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

**My gosh, I'm sorry! I haven't been on fanfiction for a while, so…. I've become addicted to fictionpress. My username is Fireeye Howlsong Rainpelt there, I case you want to check it out. **

**Really, I'm sorry. This is all so troublesome, balancing it all out. Please, humor me here. Like I said, I'm REALLY sorry!**


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